


Guitar Hero

by Kurino



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: AU that I thought of, Battle of the Bands, F/F, F/M, I'm thinking of writing smut, Maybe some drama, Musictale, Other, PREPAREEEEEE, Probs gonna have a lotta fluff, Reader Is Not Frisk, Reader has female parts, Reader is non-binary, Slow Build, Underband, but that will probably be separate or not required to read, i dunno, undertale - Freeform, unsavory words
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-09
Updated: 2015-12-25
Packaged: 2018-05-05 21:18:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5390798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kurino/pseuds/Kurino
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Underband/Musictale (Battle of the BANDS AU)<br/>//the idea came to me recently and, I dunno if I'm the first to think of this AU, but I gave it a try anyways!!//<br/>--<br/>The 201X Battle of the BANDS is just around the corner, and as an aspiring musician that made it through the qualifying rounds, you are determined to get yourself out there. Though, you have to admit that you didn't see anything like this happening.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 1st Meetings

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for the short chapter, I just wanted to get it going so I can stick to writing a story (or series *wink*) instead of like...five or six at a time...which I'm doing now. I already have an idea of where this will be going, but I'm open to suggestions!! //see end notes for more details//

It’s late March. You’re getting ready for the 201X Battle of the BANDS.

Currently, you couldn’t afford instruments, so you just stuck to either some friends or audio. You usually sing whatever you like, but you tend to stick somewhat to the pop genre. In the least, you were nervous. According to the sign-up roster online, there were some pretty good bands showing up—even more monster ones than last time, too.

Today, though, was the big meet.

You looked through your various outfits, all differing, and picked out something reserved, but noticeable. A large rose clip held your hair up in the back, not wanting to bother with the freshly washed locks that usually would be flowing. In the mirror, you adjust your skirt, wearing a belt around your waist. A very little amount of make-up is on your face—just enough to highlight your almond eyes and not-very-blushy cheeks. Three ‘power poses’ later, and you were feeling a little bit better about today, and your confidence boosted a little.

You’re ready.

You’re prepared.

It is 10:20 a.m…

You are freaking out and—no, no, no. Breathe in. Breathe out. Remember you can do this.

You swung your messenger bag over your shoulder and sighed loudly before leaving your apartment. It was still a little cold outside, Colorado in the spring does that. But at least it wasn’t snowing. As you head to your car, you pull the keys out of your bag and click the unlocking button. The car chirps, lights flashing for a bit and you open the door and plop down into the driver’s seat. As soon as it warms up, you pull out of your parking spot, driving off to the concert hall. Everything’s gonna be all right. Or at least you hope so.

\--

You stare at the building, a banner notifying that the 201X Battle of the BANDS meet was here, and so would future ones. It seemed like several others were here based on the parking lot, though certainly not all 20 that should. Maybe 7 or so.

You checked the time. It was about 10:55 in the morning, and honestly, you were bubbling over with nervous excitement. You’re ready.

A confident stride later and something solid makes you stumble to the concrete. You look up, hoping it wasn’t a pole you just walked into. Oh.

“I AM VERY SORRY, HUMAN! I SHOULD BE WATCHING WHERE I WAS GOING, AFTER ALL, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM RATHER STRONG.”

Two skeletons look down at you. Papyrus—who you ran into—was posed victoriously, almost like he was trying to prove he was strong by standing. The other, somewhat shorter skeleton just grinned while Papyrus helped you up.

“…’s funny meeting you here. i thought we’d be seeing you next _fall_.”

As if running into someone and falling wasn’t enough. You brush yourself off a little, fixing the position of your bag. After a stuttered apology, you head in, the two behind you.

You’re told to sit in either the left center or right center of the audience. The place is mostly empty, and you end up sitting in isle B right on the edge besides the walkway. The two skeletons sit somewhere behind you. Curiosity took you and you looked around, seeing a smaller female, a yellow dinosaur, you supposed, across the isle. She smiled shyly and then fiddled with something in her hands. Some bunny girls sat together chatting animatedly and making large hand gestures. Their voices echoed. There were some other humans, too, but no-one you really recognized out of them, though maybe two or three you've seen before.

Suddenly, downstage center, a boxy robot (who you knew was THE famous Mettaton), stood, then made a metallic sound you could only imagine as the equivalent of clearing his throat to capture everyone’s attention. Once he knew everyone’s eyes were on him, he introduced himself, rather flamboyantly, then transforming into his other form, Mettaton EX. He poses, flipping his hair a bit.

“Welcome, darlings~! Please do make yourselves comfortable, though, I hope that everyone had prepared their first performance pieces for tonight!! Remember, we _absolutely need_ to get this as public as public gets, but I’m sure that all of you beauties will be able to handle that!”

You shifted uncomfortably in the push seating. It didn’t occur to you that you’d have to perform the song, _too._ You just supposed that it was just to see what you could do…

A loud slam interrupts your thoughts, and you think you broke your neck from the whiplash of turning around. A familiar face, someone from another contest stood at the center entrance of the concert hall.

Undyne, whose band was called _The Undying_ , was standing there, several dog monsters with her. She’s grinning fin to fin, and you could just feel all of the energy radiating off of her. Almost like she’d surplex a boulder or something just because she could. She strides down the middle isle, stopping next to Alphys and plopping down beside her. Alphys turns red, and mutters a greeting before causally talking to Undyne.

Looking back to Mettaton, who was busy informing the late comers of their tardiness, you remembered how you got here.

Thinking of your fond memories fills you with determination.


	2. Skeletones Would've Been a Better Band Name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well, here goes nothing--aka, start the mock performances!  
> //see end notes for more, thank you!//

Three acts in.

You’re the 8th act, and you’re feeling butterflies heavy in your stomach. You wouldn’t say they were fluttering. More like dying or something.

Mettaton shoos the bunny girls from earlier off stage, grimacing a bit. He composes himself almost instantly, though, and then continues to get the next one on stage. Thank god this was just practice instead of the real thing…

The next onstage was Undyne. She was holding a (probably, you guessed) custom-made electric guitar, the dogs behind some drums, a keyboard, bass guitar, and mics, respectively. As soon as it was quiet, she flashed a razor-sharp grin, the intro to Whispers in the Dark by Skillet. The piano’s soft notes hauntingly echoed, Undyne a fraction away from the mic.

_Despite the lies that you’re makin_

_Your love is mine for the takin_

_My love is_

_Just waiting_

_To turn your tears to roses_

You caught her glancing over at a blushing Alphys, who just shyly smiled and then continued looking at her hands.

_I’ll be the one that’s gonna hold you_

_I’ll be the one that you run to_

_My love is_

_A burning, consuming fire_

You could tell that Undye was completely absorbed into her performance, strumming her guitar wildly and plucking the strings with expertise.

_NO_

_You’ll never be alone_

_When darkness comes I’ll light the night with stars_

_Hear the whispers in the dark.._

Mettaton flashes a grin from the right wing onstage, excitement bubbling over as she finishes her performance.

“Yes, this, darlings, is _exactly_ what we need tonight!! Well done, dear, well done!”

He claps while mostly everyone does too.

“Next up, is _the_ one, _the_ only, Alphys! Do come up here, dear~”

She looked up, panic flashing for a brief moment.

“M-me?”

“Yes, yes, Alphys darling, now do get on stage now”

She hurriedly gets on stage, and then places a box on the floor. Mettaton grows impatient.

“ _Well?”_

The yellow dinosaur pressed the red button on the box, it then transforming. She stands behind it and then instantly you notice a change in her demeanor. She looks confident, so sure of herself. Delicately flicking a switch, the lights all turn off, complete darkness all around. You can feel a heavy beat starting up. A single spotlight from behind her dimly shows her silhouette. You can just make out her dragging a slide up, turning up the volume of background music.

Mettaton’s voice is heard, announcing her.

“Everyone put their hands or claws together, for the dearest—and most talented, DJ AY!!”

Your mouth dropped. Alyphys was DJ AY? Only the most talented newbie techno/dubstep artist in the region!

As she started to sing, you sat, gawking.

“surprised?”

Papyrus’ brother piped up from behind you, grinning wider than before. You nodded, speechless. This was crazy, seeing how one of your idols as an aspiring artist was someone who—not only—was meek like you, but was also so different as soon as she was in her element. Alphys’ voice harmonizes with the tuned melodies overlapping and it all just melded together somehow, making your chest feel tight and your mind feel clear…

“by the way”

You tore your eyes away from the stage to look to the source of the voice besides you, jumping a bit when you realized it was the skeleton brother.

“I’m sans. sans the skeleton.”

He lounged back in the seat, hands deep in the pockets of his worn blue jacket. You snuck a glance at him, wondering what their act would be. Speaking of the skeletons, you wondered how they worked in general. Though, you just supposed that it was all due to magic like some other types of monsters. Or maybe it was a mix of magic and invisible stuff? Actually, the magic explanation made more sense.

“…enjoy the view?”

You snap back into reality, blinking as you hold eye contact with Sans. Were you staring at him the entire time? A warm blush spreads on your cheeks and you looked back to see that Alphys’ performance ended. There’s only two more before you…shit. You look down in your lap only to look back up right after while Mettaton announced the next performer.

“Wasn’t that quite lovely darlings?”

Mettaton beamed. The performers (somewhat begrudgingly) murmured in agreement.

“Anyway, up next, the Skelebros”

Sans and Papyrus get up.

“welp, looks like that’s us.”

You force yourself to not chuckle at their alias. Papyrus rushes onstage with an acoustic guitar, plucking a few strings to make sure it’s properly in tune while Sans leisurely walks up the steps to the stage. Mettaton looks impatient, though masks it with a smile. You could feel some tension, but it wasn’t enough to irk you.

Two mics were presented to them, and Papyrus was now perched on top of a stool. Nervously, his fingers twitched before he began to play a cheery, simple tune. After 5 chords, Sans began to sing.

_Some kind of magic_

_Happens late at night_

_When the moon smiles down at me_

_And bathes me in its light_

A soft, deep baritone fills the room, and, in the very least, you were shocked.

_I fell asleep beneath you_

_In the tall blades of grass_

_When I woke the world was new_

_I never had to ask_

Though, you noted, it almost felt like the emotion of the song was forced. It sounded wonderful—almost impeccable—but it just didn’t have that depth of a song that someone poured their soul into.

_It’s a brand new day_

_The sun is shining_

_It’s a brand new day_

_For the first time_

_In such a long, long time_

_I know_

_I’ll be okay_

Sans shys away from the mic as an uplifting beat starts up. This time, Papyrus kept strumming, closing his eyes for a bit, and began to sing.

_Most kind of stories_

_Save the best part for last_

_Most stories have a hero who finds_

He shrugs a bit, his lighter tenor not faltering at his smile

_You make your past your past_

_Yeah, you make your past your past_

You watched as he paused a bit, taking a glance at Sans who just nodded once.

_It’s a brand new day_

_The sun is shining_

_It’s a brand new day_

They harmonized, grinning at each other. For the rest of the song, you just saw two brothers having a good time.

\--

Next up, was you.

Your hands were shaking a little, and you tapped a bit on the guitar you borrowed from Papyrus. Everyone was staring, waiting in anticipation. You weren’t sure if you could really do as well as everyone else before you…and you didn’t want to get booed off—or worse. A shudder passes through you and you look down at the guitar. Taking a few deep breaths, you calmed yourself down.

One pluck, followed by another, you tried remembering the tune.

You opened your mouth.

And then you sang.

You were filled with determination.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm pretty stoked for this story! It's been a while since I've written, but it'll usually keep comin fast, so if you like this story keep updated~  
> Maybe 5-8 or so chapters each week :33


	3. Break a Leg

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You're immediately ushered (along with the others), into the surprise performance.  
> More of that skelesans this chapter and incidental incidents, whoops :33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the late update!!  
> I just got finished with finals and stuff so I have until maybe January 6th until school starts up again *cry*--but never mind that, hopefully you'll forgive me because I actually completed two chapters for much, much later on, I think, I'm working on a little extra thing based on a prompt, AND this chapter is a tiny little bit longer :DD  
> Anyway, enjoy!

_The guitar is quiet, though just loud enough for it to be heard. You have to switch chords several times. One pluck, followed by another, you tried remembering the tune._

_You opened your mouth._

_And then you sang._

_You were filled with determination._

\--

The strums filled the echoing concert hall.

_Look at me now, we’re on the town_

_Kicking up dust, it’s all for up_

_City light, pretty lights just take me out to play_

Your voice, a soft mezzo-soprano, floated through the space, though a bit shaky.            

_Dressing me up as red for luck_

_So much to do to hide the blue_

_City lights, pretty lights just wear me out, they say_

You took a deep breath, hiding your nervousness, and then immersed yourself into the song.

_Buttons and ribbons are finding their place_

_Smearing the make-up I put on my face_

_Spiders and lizards are tying my shoes_

_Whispering da da da, da da da, da da da_

You let the note ring out a bit before you continued to strum

_Finding my crutch, a gentle touch_

_Finding my dance, retreat advance_

_City lights, pretty lights just wring me out to dry_

You finished with a quiet ‘ _mmm’_ and one last strum. It rung out a little, and you immediately started to fiddle with the strings on the guitar, inaudibly, absentmindedly. Another blush spread across your cheeks and your ears were warm. And like everyone else before, people cheered. You couldn’t help but smile when you walked off the stage, although your hands shook and you felt sweat bead on your forehead.

You sat back in your seat, feeling more confident in yourself.

This wasn’t going to be too bad.

\--

The last performance ended, the spidery monster on stage bowing gracefully as her spiders re-spin the webs she used as her instruments.

Curiously, the spiders all disappeared up into the rafters above the stage and she, Muffet, sat back down.

At 4:43 p.m., Mettaton rushed all of the 10 performers that showed up backstage, in preparation for the performance tonight. You were ushered to the costuming department, as it was supported to wear something flashy for the night. One glance exchanged with Mettaton and then you realized that the next three hours were going to be very, very long.

A long dress, deep red in color was picked for you, having a black, flowing sash tied to the waist and a pair of raven-colored heeled boots. The dress hugged your hips and waist, gently sloping under the curve of your chest and the boots were comfortable in the sense that you’d only be wearing them for the next 4 hours at most. It wasn’t much, but, you were certainly relieved that it wasn’t a different idea of _flashy_.

You stood in one of the dressing rooms, and watched as a make-up artist applied a little bit of eyeshadow—an almost mahogany color—after re-doing your eyeliner with a flick of his wrist. Wordlessly, you twirl, finding some satisfaction in how the skirt flared with your movements.

One deep sigh escapes you, and you turn to walk out of the mirrored room, seeing a familiar skeleton.

Sans grinned a little, eyes averting to the side with hands in the pockets of the dress pants, his vest and button-up untucked.

“hey, kid...?”

You acknowledged his conversation starter.

“you’re gonna do great”

“You guys will, too”

“heh, thanks”

You walk out past him, seeing the faintest tinge of blue to his cheek bones.

When you reached the end of the hall, you noticed a small buffet backstage. The spread, closer to the wall to the right that gathered a lot of attention. You decided it wouldn’t hurt to grab something to snack on. Walking along the tables, you pick up some strawberries dipped in milk and dark chocolate and a square-cut piece of cake. You take a seat at one of the small tables next to the buffet and twirled your fork while deciding which to try first. The trail of thought was interrupted by a wet wheeze. Your head snapped up, looking for the source of the disturbance.

Sans sat at a table next to yours while he absentmindedly squeezed a bottle of chocolate into his mouth. His eyes met yours, and he chuckled when he caught yours.

“want some?”

Your cheeks flushed slightly.

“No thank you, I already have some..”

“welp, better chocolate than never”

After you groaned at his pun, you averted your eyes back to your strawberries and cake and decisively took a forkful of the square-cake. It tasted pretty good.

\--

The remainder of those four hours were dedicated to your not-so-sneaky sneaky glances to Sans, who never failed to meet it and grin, and your somewhat shaky performance.

It’s fine, you thought. You can make up for tonight at the actual event.

You slipped your clothes back on, swishing your skirt a little for good measure, and headed back out so you can drive home.

By the time you reached your car Papyrus and Sans both were leaving, too.

“HELLO, (y/n)! ARE YOU HEADING HOME ALREADY? I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS //and my brother, Sans// BELIEVE YOUR PERFORMANCES THIS EVENING WERE INCREDIBLE!”

“yeah, you did pretty great out there, kiddo”

You smiled and returned the compliment and fumbled with the hem of your shirt.

What surprised you then, was Papyrus’ immediate statement that you were now considered their friend. Your smile widened.

“Sure, that sounds great!”

After they exchanged numbers with you, they left and you turned to your car. You pulled out your keys and clicked the button. Nothing. Battery’s probably dead. You opened it up manually with your key, sitting down in the driver’s seat before trying to start the engine. The engine made a weak noise before stopping. You sighed heavily, flicking on the headlights before starting the engine again. Before you could hope for good results, the lights go out.

You could tell that the night was going to be much longer than you anticipated.

That is, until you thought of calling one of your newfound friends. You don’t remember them saying to not call them or ask for help...and, if you recalled correctly, they did seem nice enough.

The phone sat in the palm of your hand. Hopefully they won’t mind.

_Ring…ring…_

_Ring…ring…_

_Ring…click!_

“HELLO, THIS IS THE GREAT PAPYRUS—HIMSELF—SPEAKING”

“Hiya, Papyrus, I need help-“

“FEAR NOT, HUMAN. IF IT IS HELP YOU NEED, I AM QUITE GOOD AT THAT”

“Would it be alright if you can give me a ride while I call the towing people?”

“OF COURSE, FRIEND” you chuckle a little at that “WE WILL ONLY BE A MOMENT!”

You thanked him and hung up, leaning against the plush seat of your car with a heavy sigh.

\--

In almost half an hour, Papyrus and Sans arrived back at the concert hall, and the tow-ers had already come around. You shivered a little in the brisk evening air while you thanked them and the two ushered you into the car.

It wasn’t too long before the three of you reached your apartment. Again, you thanked them before going inside. They had refused your offers to show your thanks, and insisted that it was something anyone would do for a friend. Though, you had to admit, you weren’t going to take no for an answer. It was the least that you could do for something so out-of-the-blue type of sudden.

Your bag was abandoned next to your desk while you trudged to your bathroom to take a well-deserved shower.

Knowing that your new-found friends were reliable and that there was so much more yet to come filled you with determination.

**Author's Note:**

> Also, I will be putting in most of song lyrics in each chapter with singing because I have an emotional connection to music and I feel like it adds more to the story (lengthwise and meaning wise, hhahahha)  
> \--  
> //suggestions//  
> I'm mostly looking for fluffy stuff, but I don't mind receiving stuff for angst or sad scenes! Please do comment if anything comes to mind!


End file.
